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Free app for uninstaller or mac cleaner ? (Yosemite)
- Thread starter hendrilei
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Enjoying the general OSX stand alone install process, not like Windows leaving stuff everywhere. But I know some apps do leave some files elsewhere in OSX.
Whats the easiest way to remove them?
Whats the easiest way to remove them?
I suggest:
1) send the app to Trash from the /Applications and/or /Library
2) search under your /Users/{you} directory for directories named
after the application you want to get rid of.
3) think if what you found is really related and worth the effort.
I guess step 3 is smarter than any automatic tool. And safer.
;JOOP!
1) send the app to Trash from the /Applications and/or /Library
2) search under your /Users/{you} directory for directories named
after the application you want to get rid of.
3) think if what you found is really related and worth the effort.
I guess step 3 is smarter than any automatic tool. And safer.
;JOOP!
Simply deleting the app from the Applications folder will not remove the other files associated with app.
I use CleanMyMac2 (got it free on a promotion) but you have to know what you're doing when using it.
I recommend AppCleaner. It's free and does a fine job removing that straggling files. I've used it for years never had a problem.
If an app has its own uninstaller, use it. I'm told that App Zapper, etc. won't always get everything. But, as stated, some things are probably not worth the effort.
appcleaner is a good simple one that's worth using IMO: http://www.freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/
Doesn't do any weird snake oil crap, simply automatically searches for any leftover files when removing an app.
You use it almost just like uninstalling an app normally, just instead of dragging to trash, drag to appcleaner.
If you elect to use such apps, be aware that in most cases, app removal software doesn't do a thorough job of finding and removing files/folders related to deleted apps. For more information, read this and this. If you just want to delete the app, drag the .app file to the trash. No other software needed. If you want to completely remove all associated files/folders, no removal apps will do the job.
The most effective method for complete app removal is manual deletion:
This may help: Freeing up drive space in Mac OS X
I would not recommend using CleanMyMac or any of its variants, based on the number of complaints that have been posted in this forum and elsewhere. As an example: CleanMyMac cleaned too much. Here's a recent example. While you may not have experienced problems yet, enough people have that it's wise to avoid it, especially since there are free alternatives that have better reputations.
you are welcome to continue not using it. I've been using it for years without any ill effects. I know what I'm doing when I use it, but it is definitely dangerous for newbs.
Although as a rough guide this is correct, you have to remember that some app's, especially trial software will have .plist files that are named with no correlation to the actual application itself.
Apps like AppCleaner, AppZapper and MacCleaner don't usually cause problems, but they are not effective. Many times they leave behind more files and larger files than they remove. These are among the worst-performing of such apps, in terms of removing all associated files.
Leaving behind files is not necessarily a bad thing. Some applications install things that are also used by other applications; if you trash that framework, component, kext, etc you may bork something else.
Generally you are safe using either the application's uninstaller (first choice), or dragging to the trash (Apple's method). Developers know that dragging to trash is the Apple Way, and that means that if they are behaving themselves that once that application is trashed it's gone. No more problems, if that's why you're chucking it. It may leave a few kb's of prefs, or a receipt, or whatever behind but only an anal retentive would care. It's not worth the hassle, and possible risk, of tracking all that down to trash it unless it's something that is creating a problem (which means the developer was misbehaving).
I DO use AppCleaner however. But usually NOT for application removal. I use it because it's a very very handy way to find the files associated with an application. Using Spotlight for this purpose is often ineffective, since it doesn't index these, and EasyFind or Find Any File are great, but only if you know the name to search. And sometimes that isn't obvious. Once I find what I want with AppCleaner it's easy to delete caches, certain application support files, or prefs. And it gives the path if I just wanna go look at it. Others might find it useful for the same reason.
In the vast majority of cases, apps do not install components that are used by other apps. Complete removal of an app rarely affects the functionality of other apps, especially those that are installed by simply dragging the app to the Applications folder. If leaving behind files isn't a problem for a user, then simply dragging the .app file to the trash is sufficient to uninstall an app, with no other action required. The primary motivation to completely remove an app is to recover drive space. If that is the case, many of the apps like AppZapper or AppCleaner will remove small files like .plist files (which can't hurt anything if left behind and take up very little space), but frequently leave behind much larger files that consume precious drive space.
Again, if reclaiming drive space isn't the top priority, either of those methods work. If space is at a premium, even many uninstallers that come with apps will leave components behind.
Therein lies the problem with such apps. AppCleaner and others do not identify all files associated with an app. See the links in my earlier post for the results of testing I've done with many of these apps over the years. Spotlight does index everything on your drive, unless you've specifically changed it so it doesn't. However, it doesn't reveal system or hidden files in a Finder (not Spotlight) search unless you specify those. Again, see the link I posted for details of these searches.
As I said before, if you just want to delete the app, and don't care about drive space being consumed by leftover components, you can drag the .app file to the trash or run the uninstaller, if one is provided. No other software is needed.
If you want to completely remove all associated files/folders to recover as much drive space as you can, no removal apps will do the job, because they all leave behind files that could be found in a Finder search.
Not always. To index a file, MDWorker needs an importer. And some files are excluded even if you select the proper "file visibility" or "System files" option in Spotlight. For example, an application called Playback by defunct Yazsoft put a file called .PlaybackExpiration in ~/Library/Application Support. It's XMLDICT. Spotlight won't find it by name or text. But Find Any File and EasyFind can.
If you wanna add filetypes to what Spotlight indexes and searches, here's a handy guide from this site: http://guides.macrumors.com/Adding_filetypes_to_Spotlight
Nope; that doesn't change it. Although it's good to know.
It's about the UTI; don't think Spotlight does XMPDOC or whatever it is. It can't index what it can't import. From Apple's Developer info:
Indeed, and to bring us back full circle, I've had some programs install importers that subsequently gave Spotlight all kinds of problems. And no app removal utility would find them, and they didn't have the program's name so a search wasn't helpful (it was XMIND). I had to manually do it after some detective work; when Spotlight chokes it will point you to the file type and you can backtrack from there.
My recommendations:
CleanMyMac 2 now compatible with Yosemite - No free
The trial version of CleanMyMac 2 scans your Mac entirely, but only allows you to clean up to 500 MB of unnecessary files on your Mac.
FREE and love it: iFileX, this small tool is amazing!
I use both CleanMyMac 2 to remove apps, then run iFileX to search for leftovers
You may also check this app.
MacCleanse is extreme powerful No free, no expensive
and is very good.
CleanMyMac 2 now compatible with Yosemite - No free
The trial version of CleanMyMac 2 scans your Mac entirely, but only allows you to clean up to 500 MB of unnecessary files on your Mac.
FREE and love it: iFileX, this small tool is amazing!
I use both CleanMyMac 2 to remove apps, then run iFileX to search for leftovers
You may also check this app.
MacCleanse is extreme powerful No free, no expensive
and is very good.
You don't need "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps to keep your Mac running well, and some of these apps can do more harm than good. Most only remove files/folders or unused languages or architectures, which does nothing more than free up some drive space, with the risk of deleting something important in the process. None are effective in removing all components of deleted apps.
These apps will not make your Mac run faster or more efficiently, since having stuff stored on a drive does not impact performance, unless you're running out of drive space. In fact, deleting some caches can hurt performance, rather than help it, since more system resources are used and performance suffers while each cache is being rebuilt.
Many of these tasks should only be done selectively to troubleshoot specific problems, not en masse as routine maintenance. OS X does a good job of taking care of itself, without the need for 3rd party software. Among other things, it has its own maintenance scripts that run silently in the background on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, without user intervention. Aaargh. I admire your patience so much, and thanks for all these posts GGJstudios. But I think you should put this post in an Applescript/application and sell it on the App Store as Best App Vacuum Ever! and get paid for your efforts. I'd invest.
Finally i use cleanmymac, i free gigs of space from my double or edited photos, quite satisfied. I'm wondering can we mobe our iphone backup directory to external hd i.o the current directory ? It sure will free up much more space